Storm Sent Crews On 24 Emergencies Tuesday Night

POTTSTOWN PA – Although forecasters at AccuWeather helpfully announced this morning (Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011) that “the risk of weather-related migraines is low” across Limerick and Lower Pottsgrove (PA) townships and the borough of Pottstown, what they didn’t address were other pounding headaches endured by motorists Tuesday night (Jan. 11) as up to 8 inches of snow fell on parts of the area.

This was “a nice, moderate, middle-of-the road storm,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Patrick O’Hara told the Associated Press. Although two storms — one from the south and one from the east – converged to create the latest weather nuisance, “nobody is going to be stuck in their homes for days and days,” O’Hara said.

Maybe so, but some of those caught outside seemed to be having a less-than-pleasant time of it.

Montgomery County emergency services dispatchers between 5:41 p.m. Tuesday and 2:03 a.m Wednesday sent police and first responder teams on 24 separate calls to deal with hazardous road conditions and many accidents at intersections in Lower and Upper Pottsgrove, Limerick and Royersford, Pottstown, Gilbertsville, Collegeville and Lower Providence, Douglassville, North Coventry, New Hanover and Green Lane. A list of their dispatches appears below.

As of 4:30 a.m. today, there was no snow in sight locally.

By 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, the snow has already cleared out of southeastern Pennsylvania, as shown by an AccuWeather map (above.) Along U.S. Route 422 from Pottstown to King of Prussia, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, salt trucks and plows had done their jobs; the road was deemed by its 511pa.com traffic advisory website as merely “clear and wet,” allowing traffic to move at speeds of up to 50 mph.

The snow may be gone, but nightly cold temperatures due to icy winds are expected to continue through Friday. Until then, the county has extended its Code Blue declaration, made when temperatures drop to below 20 degrees and pose a threat of serious harm or death to individuals without shelter.

County dispatchers surely hope the remainder of the week will be less frenetic than Tuesday. Here’s their list of local calls issued during the storm, displayed in descending order with the most recent first: